Prelude to Foundation (Foundation Novels) |
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| Title: | Prelude to Foundation (Foundation Novels) |
| Author: | Isaac Asimov |
| Publisher: | Spectra |
| Type: | Book / Mass Market Paperback |
| Publication Date: | 01 March, 1989 |
| ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0553278398 / 9780553278392 |
| List Price: | $7.99 |
| Amazon Price: | $7.99 |
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This book is also available, brand-new, from 3rd-party marketplace sellers at Amazon.com, from $3.47.
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Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
For the first time Asimov chronicles the life of Hari Seldon, the man who laid the framework for the universe that came to be known as the Foundation. The long-awaited overture to the greatest science fiction series of all time. "Asimov's storytelling skills have never been keener."--Denver Post. HC: Doubleday.
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Customer Reviews:
• Asimov's Greatest
24 August, 2008
This book was written 25 years after the others in the series, and Asimov's writing skills had obviously matured and improved. He was a master writer in his 20's but he continued to get better. The characters
in this work are more believable, and in this book he incorporated a very interesting surprise at the end. Asimov earned all the tributes reviewers
have given him through the years.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Prelude To Foundation: Foundational
15 February, 2010
Title: Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Pages: 528.
Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 3 years.
Days spent reading it: 5 days.
Why I read it: I started reading the Foundation novels awhile back, and at some point I asked for them for Christmas. I received this great book, but was unable to read it due to my somewhat strange habit of almost always reading books in the order the author wrote them. Although it is a prequel, Prelude to Foundation is one of the last Foundation novels Asimov wrote. SO I had to get through 5 others before I could even start this one.
Brief review: Prelude to Foundation is chronologically the first book in the Foundation series. The story centers on the character of Hari Seldon, who is by far one of the better characters Asimov has created. He is memorable, likeable, and unique.
Although Prelude to Foundation is one book, its really a series of short stories as Seldon travels across Trantor fleeing from Imperial power that wants to control Seldon so it can control the future. As I stated in my previous posts, Asimov does great short stories (Foundation, the first book the author wrote in the series, was actually a group of four short stories that were published in a Sci-Fi magazine). He has interesting ideas and fun places to visit. However, in my opinion, Asimov struggles with longer plots. He has trouble bringing a longer book to a satisfying conclusion. So in this book the individual chapters are great, but the overarching plot is shoddy.
In Prelude, we see Seldon in a number of different environments that he explores, then leaves. However, it seems like nothing is really gained at any one location. But the stories in those locations are interesting. In one place all the people have their heads completely free of hair, including their eyebrows. Asimov uses stories like these to discuss culture, anthropology, taboos, and how humans rise or fall to these social forces. Some of the time its interesting. Other times I was bored or tired of being told for the hundredth time how humanity needs to grow out of its prejudices (whether they be gender, social, economic, race, etc. related).
The overarching story was a little weak. Once again Asimov oddly ties in his foundation series to his Robots series. I found the connection forced and strange yet again (as I discussed here about Foundation and Earth). But this book was much more readable and more enjoyable than Foundation's Edge or Foundation and Earth. I would recommend it as a worthy successor to the Foundation series, even if its not quite as good as some of the earlier works.
Favorite quote: "Thalus, Emmer--A sargeant in the armed security forces of the Wye sector of Ancient Trantor. Aside from these totally unremarkable vital statistics, nothing is known of the man except that on one occasion he held the fate of the Galaxy in his fist."
Stars: 4.5 out of 5.
Final Word: Foundational.
- Amazon Customer Review
• Are Asimov Fans That Undiscerning? This Novel Is Simplistic With Many Rough Stereotypes - Attn Spoilers
27 April, 2009
To start, I want to say that I am a big fan of the Foundation Trilogy. I read it while I was growing up, and it had a major influence on me: the concept of Psychohistory, and the focus on social movements and structures instead of individual "great men" was both fascinating and rare. I borrowed this book a few months ago from a friend, and now have read it twice. I think it is simply horrible writing. The characters are bland and sterile, the plot is simply an excuse to connect up threads from the other series - and it is done in a rough and unsubtle way. The story winds from one location to another - with no purpose or reason, except to connect to the history from the previous robot novels.
In some ways, this novel reminds me of the even-more-repulsive Star Wars prequels in 3 major ways:
1.) They are a poor addition to the storyline, the quality is much lower than the originals (minus the Ewoks, of course)
2.) They are clearly based on the idea of an existing fan base wanting to have details filled in and the publisher counting on this for sales even if the quality level is low.
3.) The social structures, customs, attitudes, and cultures are overly simplistic, unimaginative, and based sterotypically on current day earth.
On this last point, I had to shake my head when I read about the cultures of Mycogen and Dahl - along with the fact that tens of thousands of years in the future, the plot hinged on soldier not being willing to follow a woman as a leader. Mycogen with its unimaginative taboos, and then Dahl with its 50's-style morality (and hyper-simplistic social stratum). Top it off with the unlikely scenario that "Aurora" and "Earth" cultures have survived is even somewhat recognizable forms - AND ON TRANTOR AS WELL!!! That's just too silly to even consider.
The social stratum in Dahl requires even more criticism ... of course Seldon has to find a "diamond in the rough" among the Heatsinkers: one who does manual labor, but has a Ramanujan-like mathamatical ability - in order to show Seldon's nobility and his ability to see past social class, unlike the "silly" Dahlites. Compare the projected social structures here to those of Herbert in Dune, or even to those created by Asimov himself in the Robot or Foundation Trilogies, and you will see that here Asimov paints poorly, and with a very rough brush at that. I agree with one of the 2-star reviews that Asimov is at his best when focusing more on the conceptual level, like in the Foundation Trilogy, although he did succeed with the characters in the Robot novels (though I haven't read them in quite a while.)
It is too bad really - I went to the reviews here expecting Asimov readers to be more discerning and honest with themselves, as opposed to lapping up anything with the "Foundation" label on it.
SR
- Amazon Customer Review
• Finish To Foundation
05 August, 2008
First in fictional order of the Foundation series, it is actually the last book written in chronological order. Next in series is Foundation (Foundation Novels) (1951), Foundation and Empire (Foundation Novels) (1952) and Second Foundation (Foundation Novels) (1953). After a 30-year hiatus, Asimov concluded the series with Foundation's Edge (Foundation Novels) (1982) and Foundation and Earth (1983) before wrapping back around to pick up the story at the beginning.
This is just an OK book, nothing spectacular. The original three that I read as a teenager I remember as classics, so it will be intriguing to see if they live up to my memories (they don't; see the reviews at the above links). This book, perhaps intentionally as the opening book that frames the series, seems more a platform to discuss the philosophies of "psychohistory", Asimov's term for chaos theory applied to historical prediction, and relatively simplistic analogies to current social issues such as racism, economic stratification, pollution, and religion.
- Amazon Customer Review
• It's Better Than The Original Foundation Trilogy
10 September, 2009
If memory doesn't fail me, it's the last of the Foundation books written by Asimov himself, and it's one of the links to the other trilogies (that consist in Robot and Empire books). In my opinion, this book is somewhat better than the original Foundation Trilogy books, if nothing more because it is tighter, as long as it was idealized from the beginning as one single volume. The Foundation trilogy was published as short weekly stories, and so it includes A LOT of repetition of the plot's central points, to update (and hook!) the more casual reader.
It's a book from the mature Asimov's pen, so it's somewhat less naive (although not that much), and the reading is easier and "smoother". A nice plot that integrates the Foundation saga with the Robot era, which is lost in the pre-Empire history on Asimov's Universe. Those familiar with the Robot novels will be glad to see again a very beloved character, whom makes this book stand to the high level of the entirety of Asimov's works. Mandatory reading for all those who read and liked the original Foundation books, as are the "Foundation and Earth" and "Forward the Foundation", the two other late-written books which complete the Second Trilogy Foundation by the man himself.
- Amazon Customer Review
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